We want to alert you to town halls Washington 24th District state legislators are holding in Port Angeles and Port Townsend next week. Details for the town halls are below, but first we want to tell you why your participation is important.
This is your opportunity to urge State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, Rep. Steve Tharinger and Rep. Mike Chapman to support active forest management. They need to hear about the benefits that forest management provides the Olympic Peninsula – including jobs, revenues for schools and other essential services, as well as wood products that every American uses every day.
These legislators play key roles in the future of the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) state trust lands. On November 7, the DNR Board of Natural Resources – which sets policy for the management of DNR trust lands – selected a new plan for the marbled murrelet. Unfortunately the Board is moving to set aside another 40,000 acres from sustainable forest management. This is on top of the 583,000 acres already set aside from management for the murrelet and other species.
In October Senator Van De Wege joined a bipartisan group of legislators in sending a letter expressing concerns about this issue. The Port of Port Angeles and Clallam County have also expressed concerns. But we need your help as the Board moves forward with this harmful policy.
Please attend the upcoming Town Hall meetings to thank our 24th District legislators for their support. Ask that they hold DNR accountable to follow its legal mandate to manage our trust lands to generate critical revenues for schools, counties, and other beneficiaries. Specifically, the legislators should:
- Require greater transparency at DNR regarding the number of acres being set aside, the impacts to our communities, and the agency’s plan for reversing these impacts.
- Urge DNR to reevaluate its recent decision on the marbled murrelet and the continued reductions to harvest levels and revenues from state trust lands.
- Stop further loses of DNR trust lands, including through the “Trust Land Transfer” program, which has led to the loss of tens of thousands of state trust lands – working forests that benefit current and future generations.
Port Angeles
Tuesday, December 12
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Peninsula College Little Theater
1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Port Townsend
Wednesday, December 13
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Elks Lodge
555 Otto St.
Thank you for standing up for jobs and active, sustainable forest management on the Olympic Peninsula!
